Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has described the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a “mess,” insisting that he foresaw the government’s failures long before it assumed office in 2015.
Oritsejafor also said Nigeria’s situation has deteriorated further under President Bola Tinubu, lamenting what he described as worsening conditions in the country.
The former National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he explained why he largely stayed away from active commentary on national issues in recent years.
According to him, he had warned Nigerians ahead of the 2015 general elections about the direction the country was heading if Buhari emerged president.
“I intentionally stayed away. Why? Because in 2014, I tried to warn this nation of the direction it was going,” Oritsejafor said.
“When the Buhari government was getting ready to come in, I knew that it was going to be a mess. From there, I don’t know what to call where we are now, but it has grown worse.”
The cleric said the current state of the nation has compelled him to speak out again, stressing that leaders must be held accountable for the challenges confronting Nigerians.
“It has gotten to a point where I feel I have to say something. I must begin to say something because I pastor people; they are human beings, they are Nigerians, and we must begin to hold people accountable for what is happening,” he said.
Oritsejafor, who was widely perceived as being close to former President Goodluck Jonathan, rejected suggestions that his criticism of Buhari and subsequent silence after the 2015 election were motivated by Jonathan’s defeat.
He also revisited concerns he had previously expressed about religious extremism and its impact on national unity and governance.
“I hold a grudge against them because they hold strongly to their faith. I hold a grudge against them because they are ready to take their faith to any level, and that includes planning for people to be killed, for people to die,” he said.
Explaining his use of the term “jihadist,” Oritsejafor argued that extremism is not limited to those who take up arms.
“A jihadist is an extremist. You can be a jihadist with your pen. You can be a jihadist in so many different ways. It’s not just those who carry a gun,” he said.
“You can be a jihadist by doing everything to make sure nobody else, no other religion, has any place in the governance or in the progress of a nation.”
The cleric also questioned the role played by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during Buhari’s eight-year administration.
“When Osinbajo was vice president, what was he doing for the eight years he was there? How many times did he join to make certain decisions the government made?” Oritsejafor asked.
His comments add to growing criticism of both the Buhari and Tinubu administrations amid continuing concerns over insecurity, economic hardship, rising poverty and governance challenges across the country.
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